Plus, receive recommendations and exclusive offers on all of your favorite books and authors from Simon & Schuster.
Yayoi Kusama: Festival of Life
By Yayoi Kusama and Jenni Sorkin
Published by David Zwirner Books
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Table of Contents
About The Book
In a unique style that is both sensory and utopian, Yayoi Kusama’s work possesses a highly personal character, yet one that has connected profoundly with large audiences around the globe. Throughout her career she has been able to break down traditional barriers between work, artist, and spectator.
Kusama’s work—which spans paintings, performances, room-size presentations, sculptural installations, literary works, films, fashion, design, and interventions within existing architectural structures—has transcended some of the most important art movements of the second half of the twentieth century, including pop art and minimalism. Conveying extraordinary vitality and passion, her work seems to encompass an autobiographic, even confessional dimension. As stated by Roberta Smith in The New York Times, “These paintings form a great big infinity room of their own, but one in which each part is also an autonomous work of art, its own piece of wobbly, handwrought infinity. You may not want to know these paintings Ms. Kusama has made, but in the moment their vitality is infectious. It is the vitality of an artist who lives to work, whose work keeps her alive.”
Yayoi Kusama: Festival of Life documents the artist’s exhibition at David Zwirner’s Chelsea location in New York in late 2017, featuring a selection of paintings from her iconic My Eternal Soul series, new large-scale flower sculptures, a polka-dotted environment, and two Infinity Mirror Rooms. The monograph includes new scholarship on the artist by Jenni Sorkin, as well as a special foldout poster.
Kusama’s work—which spans paintings, performances, room-size presentations, sculptural installations, literary works, films, fashion, design, and interventions within existing architectural structures—has transcended some of the most important art movements of the second half of the twentieth century, including pop art and minimalism. Conveying extraordinary vitality and passion, her work seems to encompass an autobiographic, even confessional dimension. As stated by Roberta Smith in The New York Times, “These paintings form a great big infinity room of their own, but one in which each part is also an autonomous work of art, its own piece of wobbly, handwrought infinity. You may not want to know these paintings Ms. Kusama has made, but in the moment their vitality is infectious. It is the vitality of an artist who lives to work, whose work keeps her alive.”
Yayoi Kusama: Festival of Life documents the artist’s exhibition at David Zwirner’s Chelsea location in New York in late 2017, featuring a selection of paintings from her iconic My Eternal Soul series, new large-scale flower sculptures, a polka-dotted environment, and two Infinity Mirror Rooms. The monograph includes new scholarship on the artist by Jenni Sorkin, as well as a special foldout poster.
Product Details
- Publisher: David Zwirner Books (September 25, 2018)
- Length: 152 pages
- ISBN13: 9781941701812
Browse Related Books
Raves and Reviews
"If your art-loving friend missed Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s 2017 exhibition at the David Zwirner gallery in Chelsea, this monograph captures some of her iconic works."
– The Editors, New York Magazine
“The artist of ‘Infinity’ rooms has become an Instagram darling. But two new gallery exhibitions in New York show that she’s much more than that – an almost frighteningly fertile talent.”
– Roberta Smith, The New York Times
"[This collection includes] some of her best-known works, like the endlessly Instagrammed mirrored Infinity Rooms, polka-dotted plastered spaces, and a selection of her paintings."
– The Editors, New York Magazine
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Yayoi Kusama: Festival of Life Paper Over Board 9781941701812